Overdue and Overdone
by Jeanesis
Summary: Cloud isn't big on Christmas, but this was a little too much.


**This was done for my forum's Secret Santa (posted a bit late) and is for Tobirion! No, I'm not incredibly late in getting it in. I was just waiting to post it to ffnet.**

**(I don't own anything?)**

Cloud had never been a big Christmas person. No one in Nibelheim was. Who would want to celebrate such a cold month? This was a little ridiculous. No, not this. Not the fancy tinsel and cheesy fake trees decorating ShinRa (who knew they could be jolly about anything?), but him.

_Sephiroth._

There wasn't a single decoration up in the apartment they shared. If anything, it seemed more bleak than usual. It didn't help that if you wanted to go into the hallways leading up to their rooms, you needed a pair of glasses. Zack and Genesis had gone a bit overboard with everything. In fact, Cloud was surprised the company hadn't put its foot down yet. Surely that much mistletoe was against regulation! He immediately discarded that train of thought, because he didn't want to remember Genesis and Angeal (Oh Gaia, muscles everywhere!) rutting in the middle of the hallway.

"Something the matter, bud?" Zack leaned over the back of the couch, interrupting his thoughts.

"No- no. Yes. There is." Cloud straightened up. "Do you have any left over stuff for, you know," he gestured at the bare walls. He wondered if he would regret the decision when Zack developed an evil laugh.

"Cloud," Sephiroth stopped short upon entering their apartment. Cloud hadn't gone overboard with decorating, but it was definitely noticeable. He watched the older man pick at one of the strings of light with a curious expression.

"What is all this for, Cloud?" Sephiroth looked around, as if asking for the answer to life. It was odd, seeing such a lost expression on the General's face.

"It's for, well, it is for Christmas," Cloud shrugged lamely. The confused expression remained on Sephiroth's face.

"Christmas?" The other man seemed confused at the concept. Cloud wasn't sure he could deal with this. How could he not know what Christmas was? Better yet, how had Angeal, Genesis, or Zack not noticed Sephiroth's unusual lack of knowledge? Had they all just assumed the man didn't care for the holiday and left it at that? Surely he'd gotten presents! Why hadn't he questioned their appearance, assuming he had?

"A holiday, Sephiroth. You know," Cloud made another helpless gesture. He was desperately hoping he had misread the situation and Sephiroth was merely confused as to why and not what. The look on Sephiroth's face said otherwise. There was a slight twist to the man's lips that spoke of displeasure, and a narrowing of the eyes. Cloud remembered the look all too well when he was attempting to explain why he thought peanut butter with bananas was a good idea. It was much more pronounced now, though.

"I can't remember why it started being celebrated," he was sure there was a very bright blush on his face now. "But it's a time to exchange gifts with friends, family, lovers, and the like. To show you're close, and, and yeah." If he hadn't been blushing at the beginning, then he certainly was now.

"I see," was the slow response from Sephiroth. The man took another look around the room as though just realizing something. Sephiroth said nothing else though, and quickly disappeared into their rooms. Cloud wished he could just burrow himself into the couch and never be seen again.

The questions came a few days later. There were questions about wrapping, the sorts of things to give, traditions, lore, gifts Cloud had been given, what sort of things one did on the day besides gift giving, and the like. It all left Cloud reeling, but he answered as best as possible. Sometimes he would retreat, overwhelmed by the questions. He couldn't seem to wrap his mind around the knowledge of not knowing anything about Christmas. Cloud really couldn't see how the other three hadn't noticed. Surely Angeal, even as wrapped up in Genesis as he was around this time of year, would have seen something? Or Zack, who was observant as Reno when the man wasn't bent over a toilet puking up a night's worth of alcohol (and probably some bodily fluids from the night before).

After Sephiroth had exhausted his questions, their pre-holiday routine seemed to return. There was a bit of strained silence on Cloud's part, but nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, Sephiroth seemed to completely forget about it. Cloud wasn't sure whether or not he was pleased with this new development (or rather, the return of the man's former attitude).

Christmas morning dawned and the weather outside was grimy and foggy as usual. A bit of grayish, sad looking fluff that he supposed was snow had found its way onto the ground. Overall, it was a gloomy atmosphere outside. This just made Cloud glad he was inside, huddled among blankets with his feet covered with obnoxious Christmas socks that he'd received from his mother several years back.

A pile of gifts sat before him, small, but it made him smile. He could immediately identify which was Zack's (it was poorly wrapped, oddly shaped, and covered in tape). Genesis's wasn't wrapped expertly either, but was surprisingly neat and tasteful considering the man liked giving out garish things to others for laughs. Not surprisingly, Angeal's looked like he'd gotten it wrapped by the gods of gift wrapping. It was perfect, not too much tape and not too little. Three presents, but that was certainly a nice amount. (Cloud had shoved the creepy black box with 'from Kunsel' into the trash.)

"I believe this is yours," Sephiroth appeared out of the blue, box in hand. Cloud took the item carefully, tensing when it was heavier than appeared. He glanced at the other, recognizing the nervousness that Sephiroth was hiding so well.

He carefully pulled away the wrapping, and smiled when he saw what lay beneath. The smile turned into full blown laughter, complete with tears, a belly ache. He'd even had a brief bout where no sound was coming out, the laughter was so hard.

"It's perfect, Seph," he finally choked out. "Exactly what I needed." The sword servicing kit was promptly forgotten in favor of a heated kiss now that Sephiroth was reassured that he had done well.


End file.
